Newt Gingrich goes nuclear: Romney is “Obama lite” and “clearly against the American ideal”

Las Vegas – With less than 24 hours until the “First in the West” Nevada caucuses here, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich levelled some of his harshest attacks yet on Mitt Romney Friday– dismissing the former Massachusetts governor as an “Obama lite” candidate, and “someone who is clearly against the American ideal.”
In a blistering speech, Gingrich also said Romney’s propensity for gaffes make him “everything we don’t want in a general election candidate.” He attempted to define Romney as a presidential candidate who has stumbled with “boo boos” that reveal his true agenda.

“If you’re a genuine conservative…you don’t say you don’t care about the poor,’’ the former Speaker told a few hundreds enthusiastic supporters at Stoney’s country western bar here. “My goal is allow the poor to rise.”

Added Gingrich: “I don’t think food stamps are good for America..they’re a necessary bridge back to getting a job.”
Gingrich’s speech was met by cheers and chants of Tea Party backers and supporters as he repeatedly portrayed himself as an underdog working against an establishment candidate.

With polls showing that Romney holds a double digit lead in Nevada, where he has a strong organization and Mormon backing, Gingrich told his supporters that “this is a campaign of people power versus money power.”
“Even if we win a decisive victory…, the old order will fight every day to stop us,’’ he said. But “we’re offsetting the Romney machine…we have people out here talking to people..it’s an old-fashioned kind of way of doing it.’’

“You go to the caucuses and speak up for a people’s campaign,’’ he told them.

Gingrich drew cheers when he said his campaign has put out an ad today featuring an interview with George Soros – “the devil!” one supporter yelled – in which the major Democratic donor says that between Romney and Obama, there’s not a lot of difference.

Calling Romney an “Obama Lite” Republican, Gingrich said, “I don’t believe the Republican party wants to nominate a George Soros-approved candidate.” He said they should support a candidate who supports working Americans who pay taxes, “not someone who clearly is against the American ideal.”

But the Romney team has quickly countered with their own ad, reminding Republicans that a spot featuring Gingrich sitting on a couch with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and discussing climate change was funded by Soros. Gingrich has called that spot a political mistake that he regrets making.

Gingrich also went on the attack against President Barack Obama, calling him “sort of the anti-jobs presidency.” But asked by reporters after his event to comment on the new jobs numbers which show unemployment now down to at 8.3 percent, Gingrich said that he had not seen them.